A major key to the home’s certification and effortless beauty is its ample amounts of natural light. Giant steel and glass windows line the basement, parlor floor, and south facade of the home to allow daylight to shine throughout the space while passively heating it. The open windows also infuse the home with air from the garden, creating natural ventilation and freshening the interior. Skylights atop the 4-story staircase assist in flooding the home with daylight as well, while an awesome exposed manual gear operates a moving glass and steel wall on the penthouse floor.

Historic details of the building, from the baseboards and molding to the casing around the doors, were preserved and touched up a bit to meet the modern aesthetics of the new design and the home also makes great use of recycled and local materials. Its wood flooring is reclaimed from a barn in Tennessee, and the soapstone countertops are sourced from a quarry in Vermont. Low-VOC paints and finishes were used throughout the renovation, while a highly efficient heating and cooling system, as well as energy saving every day appliances can also be found throughout the home.